Headmaster's killer in new arrest

The killer of headmaster Philip Lawrence is in custody after being arrested over an alleged robbery, just four months after leaving prison for the school gate murder.

Learco Chindamo was freed in July, 15 years after the killing, and allowed to remain in Britain. He was jailed indefinitely for the murder outside St George’s Roman Catholic School in Maida Vale, west London, in 1995.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We can confirm that a 30-year-old man was arrested (on Wednesday) on suspicion of robbery. The man was arrested at 5.55 at an address in Catford, SE6 and is currently being held in custody at a central London police station. The alleged robbery took place on Saturday November 13 in Belmont Street, NW1, and the alleged victim was a man in his 20s.”

Father-of-four Mr Lawrence, 48, was fatally wounded after going to help a pupil who was being attacked by a gang.

Among the attackers was Chindamo, then 15, who went on to brag about the killing hours later. He was convicted of the murder in October 1996, jailed indefinitely and ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years.

A judge ruled that he could not be deported to Italy, where he was born, because it would breach his human rights as he has spent most of his life in Britain.

Mr Lawrence’s widow Frances told a newspaper the news was “very, very distressing on many levels”.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “All offenders subject to probation supervision on release from prison have to adhere to a set of strict conditions. They are subject to recall to custody if they breach their conditions or their behaviour indicates that it is no longer safe for them or for the public if they remain in the community.

“Once an offender has been recalled by the Probation Service it is then for the police to return them to custody.

“For indeterminate sentence offenders, it falls to the Parole Board to determine when they should be re-released.”